A French court has sentenced the Chinese captain of a suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker to one year in prison and issued an international arrest warrant against him, in a ruling that marks one of the most significant legal escalations yet in Europe’s campaign against vessels circumventing Western sanctions on Russian oil. Captain Chen Zhangjie, 39, was tried and convicted in absentia by a court in Brest on Monday after failing to appear – he remains at sea. The sentence relates to his decision not to comply with orders from the French navy to stop the tanker Boracay for a flag verification boarding in international waters off western France in September 2025. The court also ordered Chen to pay a €150,000 fine. When French forces approached the Boracay, the vessel was sailing without a visible flag and was suspected of transporting Russian crude to India in violation of Western sanctions. An hour after being hailed, the crew hoisted a Benin flag – but Benin authorities had already confirmed no such vessel was registered in their country. The captain’s explanation for the delay was memorable: “It was raining and you don’t put up a flag when it’s raining,” he told authorities during his time in custody. The boarding team disobeyed in any case, taking command of the vessel and diverting her to Saint-Nazaire for a multi-day inspection. Two employees of a Russian private security company were found aboard, described as being present to represent Russian interests and gather intelligence. The Boracay has also been linked to mysterious drone flights over Denmark that disrupted Copenhagen Airport and nearby military installations around the time the vessel transited the Danish Straits, though no formal connection has been established. The vessel, now renamed Phoenix and flying the Russian flag, was transiting the Strait of Malacca bound for the Russian oil port of Kozmino as the verdict was delivered. Chen’s lawyer, who described the ruling as “absolutely incomprehensible” and plans to appeal, argued France lacked jurisdiction as the boarding occurred in international waters. The EU currently lists 598 vessels as suspected shadow fleet operators banned from European ports and maritime services. France has been one of the lead European nations to take action against the shadow fleet in recent months. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsFrance Russia